The Cinnamon Challenge
by Smokestep
Summary: Judging by the title, you may know what this is about, or you may not, but what it is will be explained in the story. If you read it and enjoy it, or hate it, I would appreciate a review. But if you enjoy it, that's enough for me.


**The Cinnamon Challenge**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Sonic characters.

**Smokestep: **So, my friend actually told me about this on Thursday, and I didn't know about it until then. But you probably do know about the Cinnamon Challenge, but if you didn't, I'm not judging you since I didn't either. But it has been around since 2001 . . . Wikipedia says so. Now, some information I used in this came from my friend, some that I know is wrong, but I wanted to use it anyway. And for those of you questioning why I did this, I wanted to keep my readers entertained while they wait.

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><p>Stars faded into nothingness as time moved on. The moon departs shortly as it rises, its brilliant light to be appreciated the next night. The sun soon takes its place, its bright dawn rays hitting the Earth, warming it up after the cool night passes. It's an endless process, a force ran by nature.<p>

The sun's magnificent rays lick the sky in a blazing glory, showering it with an orangish-pink shade, coloring the sky into its own unique masterpiece.

And, on cue, birds wake up from their nests, calling out to one another with songs of joy. This, combined with the light show presented in the sky may be the cause of a certain two-tailed fox's unpleasant awakening. Or maybe not.

But for Tails, it had been a very unproductive night. Hardly any sleep, no new inventions, and no new-found knowledge, or, well, at least, important new-found knowledge.

In Tails' opinion, the knowledge that had been gained wasn't worth the hours it cost, but it was still interesting. After all, if he couldn't stop searching the internet for it, something must have caught his attention. And it had felt like it had only been twenty minutes since he had first started this random extravaganza . . . time flies when you're having fun, after all.

When he had finally fallen into the comforting peace of sleep, at exactly 6:37 a.m., he knew it wouldn't last, and that something or someone would show up and throw all that well-deserved rest away, like a scientist with a 300 IQ, or a blue hedgehog.

But it was his fault for going to bed so late, when most sane people would be getting up right about now, getting ready to go to work or drop their kids off at school.

Except Tails' wake-up call wasn't an alarm clock, rather an evil scientist threatening to take over the world. Either that or a speedy, bored hedgehog looking for a sparring partner. And he'd have to get up as usual and convince Sonic to get an adrenaline rush some other way, instead of picking fights with Knuckles.

If only the echidna wasn't so easy to provoke, Sonic wouldn't mess with him. Tails just didn't want a repeat of the time when Sonic and Knuckles had let their match go too out of hand. Both ended up wounded, leaving Tails and Amy to take care of them.

That was a dream day for her, taking care of Sonic, and him not able to do anything about it.

But you'd think, with how much Sonic annoys Knuckles, that the guardian would eventually learn to not to get so provoked, and then Sonic would leave his island in search of a different thrill. Maybe the echidna didn't mind as much as everyone thought he did. After all, it must get pretty boring on Angel Island, guarding an inanimate, glowing rock every day, no matter how powerful or shiny it is. But who's to say? Knuckles hardly ever mentioned his role as guardian to anybody, except for the usual, "I must protect, it's my duty as guardian," speech.

The computer roared, its anger at staying turned on all night released as a loud, continuous growl, attempting to cool itself down before it overheated. The noise didn't seem to bother the sleeping fox, with his head lying on the keyboard, unconsciously using his arms as a temporary pillow.

As the computer got louder, Tails shifted his position, his right arm dislodging itself from under his head over to land on the mouse. Unfortunately for Tails, the force at which his arm fell was enough to register the left clicker on it, and he accidentally clicked on a YouTube video.

Tails didn't notice as he turned his head to the other side, his ears twitching, and muttering something in his sleep.

He finally woke up once the video stopped buffering and started the usual advertisement. Since the volume was pretty high, up in the 60's, the blast was enough for his ears and brain to register the noise.

His blue eyes snapped open and his head shot up, a panicked gaze frantically searching the room. Half a second later, Tails recognized his office, bookshelves and all, and relaxed. Only then did he notice a thin trail of saliva from his mouth that had found its way to the keyboard, covering up the C, D, F, and V keys. As he wiped it off his fur and the keyboard, he inwardly shuddered with disgust.

The advertisement had ended and now the actual video was beginning, after it was done buffering. Tails' eyes found their way to the computer screen, mentally noting that he needed to clean it, and he recalled why he had fallen asleep at his computer.

He had been searching something called, "The Cinnamon Challenge." It had interested him, since, apparently, no one had completed it. It was nearly impossible to do so. But he had found one video on YouTube where the person was able to do it.

Not that he had ever wanted to try it. According to medical knowledge, there was a chance you could die from trying it. So far, Tails had found no proof of anyone dying while attempting it so far, but there's bound to be someone who has. After all, if no one has died yet, studies predict that someone will eventually get severely injured or even killed by trying to complete it, and Tails didn't want to be the unlucky soul to do so. He liked his life, thank you very much.

The worst injuries that have been reported so far are chest pains, and that is if you try it, complete it or not. The pain is said to be worst if you actually do swallow the cinnamon, though.

It's a stupid move, a death wish, as Eggman would probably like to put it.

Tails had been searching for who actually created it before he had fallen asleep. Either it was some show in 2001, or two teenage guys. He didn't know. He was tempted to resume that search, but hearing the computer snarl at him into his sensitive eardrums was enough to make him think otherwise.

So he did what he should have done a long time ago, before he fell asleep, and shut the computer down. All the while thinking to himself, _Who created it, and why cinnamon? _He just couldn't wrap his mind around that tidbit of information. Why cinnamon? His best guess was because the creator was hungry and had a cinnamon shaker in his sight.

Or should we say creators, since it could be true that the two guys had made and started this seemingly harmless trial.

He waited in his chair for a few moments while his computer shut down, releasing a sigh of relief as it quieted down and he could hear his thoughts again. It was a fast computer, and will let you know when it's mad.

He slowly got up, his legs still half-asleep. He wasn't used to sleeping on his computer desk. Giving his tired limbs a minute to wake up, he looked around his office with a blank gaze. The room shined in pale blue light, a result from the sunlight that filtered through the curtains. It's something pointless, but something he noticed. After all, he wasn't in his office every day at dawn. He guessed it was sometime around eight.

Heaving a yawn, he forced his legs to move and trudged towards the door, his steps heavy and feeling like deadweights.

His mind was still on the challenge. He couldn't believe that anyone would try it. He then figured it was lucky that none of them have heard about it, and he'd like to keep it that way. Knuckles and Sonic would probably make a bet out of it, and one of them would get injured trying to complete it before the other called them a coward.

The first thing he noticed as he climbed down the stairs was that the living room light was still on. He needed to get out of that habit, or Sonic needed to start turning it off for him.

Speaking of the devil, he was relaxing on Tails' new couch. It was a lot more comfortable than the other one. The new color really matched the room a lot better than the other one did, being a pale green. And it hadn't cost too much either. He gave his other one to a poorer family.

Tails rubbed his eyes and smoothed out his fur before Sonic caught sight of him. But he had nothing to worry about, since Sonic was just flipping through the channels, trying to find something to watch while he ate some pancakes. He had Tails some too, five minutes before the fox woke up.

Once Tails thought he looked decent, he walked out to the kitchen, and this time Sonic noticed him.

"Good morning, sleepy head," he cheerily said, his usual grin plastered on his face. Tails was usually up before him.

"Hey," Tails called back, grabbing the plate Sonic had made for him, and drenching the chocolate chip pancakes in syrup. Seizing a fork and a knife he joined Sonic on the couch. The hedgehog was still channel-flipping.

"Are you ever satisfied?" Tails joked as he placed his breakfast on the table and went to grab some orange juice from the refrigerator. Sonic simply shrugged. "By the way, thanks for breakfast."

"No problem. After all, you've made me breakfast before," he replied, frowning as he realized he won't find something he likes, and just merely settled on a random channel, and began eating.

"Why were you up so late, anyway?" he asked as Tails put his glass on the table, and sat down, shifting his tails out of the way. Sonic moved over with a chuckle to avoid getting wacked.

"I was searching up something up on the internet, and didn't fall asleep 'till about six, I think," Tails answered as he licked his lips in anticipation and dug into his pancakes. Sonic narrowed his eyes in amusement.

"You know, they taste a lot better if don't stuff them into your mouth all at once." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 8:53. 'So, you only got about three hours of sleep?"

Tails swallowed his insanely large mouthful. "I suppose, but I can't go back to sleep now. And what if I' hungry?" he asked innocently in response to Sonic's last remark.

He rolled his eyes, not bad-heartedly. "I'm just saying, there aren't any seconds." Tails took his time after his friend had said that. They sat in silence as they ate as they watched the weather channel, somehow that being the channel Sonic landed on. It was just so boring that there were no words to be said.

It's then do you know how close you are to your friends, if you can sit in a comfortable silence, even if there was the background noise coming from the T.V. Tails wasn't really listening though, and he doubted Sonic was. Instead, Tails was more focused on keeping Sonic from finding out about the Cinnamon Challenge. He shuddered to think about what would happen if Sonic or one of their friends tried it.

Sure, they weren't guaranteed to die, and it wasn't set in stone, but he'd rather be safe than sorry, while Sonic was exactly the opposite.

It should be easy, though, keeping it from them. After all, Sonic hadn't asked about it yet, and he probably wouldn't.

But, as they were cleaning off their dishes, Tails washing them and then handing them off to Sonic to dry, he asked. "So, Tails, what were you searching up anyway?"

"Oh, nothing important," Tails answered carefully. Sonic glanced at him skeptically.

"Then why did you say it was interesting?"

"Well, I didn't say it was important." It technically wasn't a lie.

Sonic glanced at him from his work, his head cocked to the side, an unreadable gleam in his eyes. He usually played this tactic whenever he wanted to get information, but it wouldn't work on Tails this time.

It was just so weird. Whenever Sonic placed that gaze on you, it feels like you have to tell him everything. Tails didn't know how he did it, but he wish he had that skill himself. He'd find a use for it.

"I'm not telling," Tails said, getting back to washing his plate. Sonic stuck his tongue out before he got back to work.

About two minutes later they were done, and Sonic decided to press the subject.

"Why won't you tell me?" he kept asking in a curious, whiny, and exasperated tone. He switched between the different tones.

"Because I don't want you trying it. It's for your own good," Tails would retort. Sonic rolled his eyes once more.

"That's the same thing you said last time."

"Yeah, and it's all I'm going to keep saying," Tails replied stubbornly as he walked towards the door, about to head to his workshop. There was no way Tails was telling him anything. As he turned, he glimpsed Sonic narrowing his eyes, an annoyed glint in them, and Tails thought he would leave, thinking he wouldn't get anything out of him. But that was before his normal smirk found its way back on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" the fox questioned him incredulously, turning towards him. Sonic crossed his arms in a confident manner and didn't say anything in response. "What?" Tails asked the hedgehog, who seemed to be waiting for something.

Sonic's smile seemed to grow bigger, his gaze focused on the clock in the living room as he replied. "If I stay here and annoy you long enough, you'll tell me," he predicted in dismissing tone, flashing a curious look at Tails.

"Oh, please, that's Knuckles," Tails countered. "He gets annoyed a lot more easily than I do."

"Don't underestimate me, Tails. I can be really annoying when I want to be."

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><p>Tails got an earful that day. He had changed his mind and decided to work on his house instead. And everywhere he went, Sonic would follow, asking the same question. What probably kept him from begging was the confidence that Tails would spill it eventually. And indeed he had.<p>

Tails had just started work on the roof, giving it a fresh coat of paint of black. Bland, yes, but also traditional. And, of course, since Sonic couldn't fly, he stayed on the ground and annoyed him from there.

"Just tell me, Tails. It would end this thing a lot sooner."

"I don't think so. And it seems to me like you're getting more annoyed than me." That was nowhere near the truth. He was almost at the point where he thought he would explode if Sonic didn't leave soon. He was right when he said he could be annoying when he wanted to be. But Tails finally snapped when Sonic calling to him had caused him to lose balance, almost resulting with him falling off the roof, and onto his flower garden. But he had caught onto the ledge just on time. He thanked god that he had enhanced reflexes from all of his and Sonic's battles with Eggman.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you!" he yelled at Sonic, who, at this point, looked pretty satisfied with himself, though he never thought he would drive Tails to almost falling off a roof. He hadn't even driven Knuckles that far yet.

Tails pulled himself back onto the roof, and glanced at Sonic, who calmly stared back at him, waiting for him to begin. "At least let me finish the roof first!" he said defiantly.

Sonic rolled his eyes as he walked back into the house, all the while muttering, "Great, more waiting," just quietly enough that Tails didn't hear.

He grabbed a soda from the fridge before he sat down on Tails' couch, waiting for him to return.

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><p>It seemed like forever, but the fox finally came back, hands free after returning everything back to the workshop. Sonic had gone through two root beers before he had gotten back. Both cans were placed on the coffee table. Tails shook his head.<p>

"You will be the death of me, Sonic, drinking all these sodas," he said in a mock-serious tone.

Sonic flashed him a grin. "Yes, 'cause you're totally going to starve," Sonic joked, grabbing the two cans and throwing them away. "There, now you don't have to see them anymore. You satisfied now?"

Tails nodded. "Yes, because that table's only used for coffee, Sonic. I thought you knew that," he teased as he sauntered back to his sofa, and laid on it. Sonic took up the matching armchair.

"Well, since you took my seat, it's only fair you tell me what's been on your mind," Sonic prompted him.

Upon hearing about that, Tails sat back up, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. "Fine, if you _must _know-"

"I must, Tails," Sonic interrupted. Tails gave him a look that plainly said, "Really?" Sonic shrugged. "What? I was just answering your question. Isn't that the polite thing to do?" he asked innocently as mischievousness flared in his oh-too-playful emerald gaze.

"You'll never change," Tails concluded simply.

"Nope, no chance," Sonic agreed, nodding in a mock-diplomatic manner. "Now can you get on with the story?"

"I would if you'd stop interrupting!" Tails complained. Sonic gave a nod, and then motioned his hand as if he zipping his mouth closed, and then he motioned for Tails to continue. "Alright then."

"Well, you see, I was searching up something called "The Cinnamon Challenge." Sonic's eyes immediately lighted up with interest. As Tails suspected, he hadn't known about it. "In order to complete it, you have to swallow a tablespoon of cinnamon without any water, and in under sixty seconds." Sonic's eyes grew wide with surprise. He hadn't expected that. And even then, he wasn't stupid. He knew how that would work, how a person could choke by doing that.

"And that's basically what I had spent my time searching up," he finished. Sonic didn't reply, though his curious gaze and twitching ears hinted that he wanted to say something. "You can talk now, you know? I'm done."

Sonic didn't need another invitation. "Who would do that?"

"A lot of people on YouTube," Tails recalled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Has anybody completed it?" Sonic asked in an inquisitive, yet guarded tone, as if he was trying to hide the fact that he wanted to try it. But Tails already knew he did.

"Yes, and I know what you're thinking. Why do you want to try this?" Tails inquired, wondering how many brain cells Sonic had lost day.

His friend shrugged. "I don't know, I just do." Catching the worried glance from Tails, he added, "I'm not going to die."

"You've said that before."

"And I haven't, have I?"

Tails face-palmed. "I knew this would happen."

Sonic got up. "Then why did you try to stop it?" he asked as he made his way to Tails' kitchen.

Tails shrugged helplessly as he responded. "Because I thought I could." He heard Sonic chuckle, and the sound of his numerous cabinets being opened, and gloved hands carefully moving spices out of the way to find the cinnamon shaker. Now Tails regretted ever buying it. He sighed, then mumbled, "Better get there before he kills himself."

He slowly rose up from off the couch and trudged over to the kitchen. He knew Sonic thought it wasn't too dangerous, when in reality, it was. Surely, not everyone who tries the Cinnamon Challenge dies, but there's a chance, a small percentage that could happen.

When he arrived to the doorway of the kitchen, he found Sonic digging in one of his drawers for a tablespoon, with the cinnamon shaker on the counter.

"You're going to regret it, you know?" He felt he at least had to give Sonic some warning, even if he couldn't stop him.

Sonic glanced up at him from the drawer. "Maybe, but I at least want to try."

Tails closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "I knew you'd say that."

Sonic grasped a tablespoon and placed it on the counter next to the cinnamon shaker. "Well, I've got to give it a try." After that remark, Sonic took the cap off of the shaker and started pouring cinnamon into the spoon.

Tails took cover behind the counter that separated the kitchen and dining room table; he had seen numerous videos of this, and only one person was able to do it. And that had not been his first try. There's no way Sonic could do it.

Sonic had finished pouring the cinnamon and had put the cinnamon shaker up by this point. Now he was lifting the spoon from off the counter, little grains of cinnamon falling from the spoon as he lifted it higher. It was pretty clear to Tails he was pretty hesitant about this, even if he had agreed with himself that he would do this. And, like many other things, he would do this as well, no matter how much he didn't want to.

So he quickly took the spoon in his mouth, closing his eyes while doing so.

Cinnamon didn't taste good when it wasn't on anything. It was meant and created for a topping, to add flavor, and started the cinnamon rolls, a pretty tasty pastry. But, by itself . . . well, you might as well eat your least favorite food, and it will taste better.

So now, with the cinnamon in his mouth and only fifty-nine seconds left to swallow, what does the hero of Mobius do?

Simple, he does what countless others have done. He spits it out the second it pops into his mouth. And as Tails had expected, the cinnamon, looking more like brown flour than anything, went flying around his kitchen, covering his kitchen tiles. From then on, Sonic just kept coughing like crazy, rushing over to the sink, turning it on, and filling the palms of his hands with water. He drank what didn't trickle out of his hands. This process repeated for a good minute before Sonic stopped coughing.

Since the coast was clear, and there was no threat of getting cinnamon in his fur, Tails got out of hiding behind the counter , and made his way to his office. He stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, however, if only to say, "By the way, Sonic . . ." Said hedgehog glanced at him when he heard his name, looking pretty flustered. "You're cleaning this mess up." Then Tails continued on his way to the office, while the hedgehog moaned at the prospect of cleaning this place up.

Oh, well. He asked for it, after all.

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><p><strong>Smokestep: <strong>And there you go. I pretty made it up on the spot, but I hope you enjoy it. I didn't think it was too bad.

My Sonic game adaption is still on the way . . . I just don't have time for it right now. I have started on the prologue, so you may see that soon, and then what game I'm doing.

Review if you enjoyed thoroughly, or if you hated it thoroughly. I haven't gotten any criticism in any of my stories, and I don't really want any. But hey, everyone has an opinion.

See ya, hope you didn't think I was dead!


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